Strategic Solutions and Powerful Results!
Strategic Alliances and Co-Op Promotions…
NFL Exhibition Game Punt, Pass and Kick Competition
The promotions surrounded a Punt, Pass & Kick competition that Rich arranged to be held as half-time festivities during NFL exhibition games.
Not only did this become hugely profitable for his radio station (and other mediums like newspaper, TV, local mags, etc that he enjoined later to expand the exposure) but it became one of the most popular and anticipated promotions in the city.
Side-note: Loads of awesome stories about those cool kids to tell here… make you shed a tear or two…
Wired with Western Union!
In fact those bulk Western Union promotional items were still around the radio stations years after Rich moved on…
Enormous profits for the station and tons of goodwill with new clients that normally would not be able to participate in the broadcast medium.
Pro-Energy Dog Food
So, he contacted Cargill; devised and executed a huge promotion resulting in a very unique ad and marketing angle. Took a knock off of the old Wendy’s hamburger commercial “where’s the beef?” and went with “where’s the stool?”
Rich had the majority of on-air radio talent touting “where’s the stool” and gave away dog food samples at every future event and remote broadcast for a year. This turned out to be the #1 largest impact campaign at Cargill Corporation for that year!
Extra-Extra Read All About it!
Rich then hired a small army of small children (ages 3 ½ to 11 – child-labor laws be damned – wink!) to dress in 1899 newspaper-boy knickers-type costumes complete with shoulder bags and applejack caps. Hired drivers to convoy our little “Newsies” for a one day blitz to all the region’s advertising agencies and most major clients in the city shouting out: “Extra, Extra read all about it, radio station has meteoric rise to the top of the ratings!”
This one was so big they even got coverage in competing mediums! Needless to say everyone in business and in advertising in the State of Florida (and elsewhere) knew of the station’s format adjustments and massive achievements in the ratings! Competitors followed suit soon after!
Endless Free Beer = Balls
In yet another creative concept Rich, along with his good friend Roger Maris Jr. (yes, that Roger Maris – the legendary baseball player=his father=owned the central Florida Budweiser distributorship in Gainesville) developed and had built a refrigerated truck filled with stationary kegs with taps sticking out of the sides. Simply pull up to a would-be party and Wham! – Instant merrymaking … heaps of revenue and oodles or goodwill.
Free Thanksgiving Promotion
Baseball Night Promotion
•Also tied in various other local businesses to give away dozens & dozens of prizes during the game and of course run their own adjoining radio advertising campaigns. For instance; got a cellular phone company to give away 24 phones in an unique trivia game between innings, local hardware store gave away baseball bats upon entering the stadium, local hamburger joint gave away free burger & fries certificates in a surprise under-the-seat promotion, free bikes in a pitching game, etc, etc, etc.
Later Rich brought in former Kansas City Royals baseball team executive turned Conservative talk show host and political pundit Rush Limbaugh to do some voice and sponsorship work. Revenue and community goodwill galore!
Stanza Extravaganza
So he created a multi-media “Stanza Extravaganza” campaign blitz complete with tons of back-to-back promotions from the dealerships with prizes and giveaways galore.
This one went national very quickly – you may remember the balloons-drop, party atmosphere TV ads, right? They played for years and the concept (which Nissan failed to trademark) was used for several other cars as well, namely Toyota.
Subway – ‘Terry & Tuna’ Sub
NFL & National Champs FL Gators Flagship Station Status
Rich went on to act as one of the key contacts with the Jaguars coaches, players and operational staff for various promotions and talent bookings. Also in working closely (and station liaison) with the Jacksonville Mayor’s office and the Tourism & Development Department and Board.
Rich and a hand-picked team were able to secure the position as the flagship radio station for the University of Florida Gators.
That’s right, they actually snatched that designation out of the hands of the University of Florida’s own station and Rich’s station was 50 miles away from the Gator’s stadium ‘The Swamp’! Talk about a feather in the cap – big-time!
Summer Party Giveaway with a Waterfront Caribbean Bar
Including a 5,000 gallon pool, lawn furniture, high-end Bar-B-Q grill, weekend food for 9 weeks, bathing suits, landscaping service and equipment, etc.
Needless to say there were not many people in the Jacksonville market young and old alike whom did not know about this Summer Party giveaway. Huge exposure and income increases for the companies involved and fantastic joint venture for everyone!
Specialty Advertising Business
This experience comes in handy with the various promotional ties-ins Rich develops and executes.
Tons of Charity Work
Some of his other broadcast-oriented activities include being the chief point-person for the Jacksonville Florida’s Tourism and Development Department, orchestrating and acted as station liaison and one of the event coordinators for the Rush-To-Excellence Tour (the national tour for international radio personality Rush Limbaugh) attended by over 12,000 people from all over North Florida. Additionally he filled the role of the media contact and spokesperson in subsequent years.
- Burt Reynolds (worked together on the North Florida Film Festival)
- Rush Limbaugh (worked together on numerous projects)
- Dick Clarke and Rick Dees (top-40 guys)
- Actress Vanessa Redgrave (Rich’s daughter played her in the movie Orpheus Descending)
- Actor and Director Vincent Spano
- Actor William (Billy) McNamara
- Hollywood producer Aaron Russo
- Chet Holmes (Rich was his President of Business Resource Center)
- Billionaire Bill Bartmann (Billionaire Business Systems and Bail-Out Riches programs)
- Dr. Joy Browne, Dr. Dean Edell, Paul Harvey, Neal Bortz, Jerry Baker
- Florida Governor Lawton Chiles and Bob Graham
- Congressman Marc Little, Congressman Rosco Bartlett
- Congressman Ron Paul, Congressman Bob Barr
- Jacksonville Mayor Tommy Hazouri and Mayor John Payton
- Representative Charles Key
- Much of the NFL Jacksonville Jaguars roster, players, coaches and staff
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